Dispensing apparatus



June 24, 1930. F. s. BARKS DISPENSING APPARATUS Y Filed May 8, 1929 VsoPatented .lune 24, 1930 PATENT ori-ICEA FRANK S. BARXS, OF ST.LOUIS`,.M-ISSOUR DISPENSINQAPPABATUS Application led Hay 8, 1929. SerialNo. 361,271.

This invention relates to dispensing ap` paratus, and with regard tocertain more specific features, to guns forv grease or thev like pumpedfrom automatic pressure pumps 6 or lubricators. Among the severalobjects of the invention may be noted the provlsion of an improvement inthe material gun described in my patent for lubricating apparatus, No.1,633,-

' l0 304, dated June 21, 1927; the provision of a The inventionaccordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements,features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemlified in the structure hereinafter describe and the scope of theapplication of which will be indicated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated one of variouspossi le embodiments of the invention,

Fig. l is a side elevation showing the grease gun connected with certainlubricating apparatus; and,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the grease gun per se,showing its 5 connection with a bearing.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the-several vviews of the drawings.

Hereinafter a grease gun will be referred by way of example, but it isto be understood that the device described may be used in connectionwith other li uid or viscous materials such as putty and t e like.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, there is illustrated atnumeral 1 a grease pumping unit comprising a base 3 on which issupported a driving engine 5 suitably connected with a pump 7 forforcing grease from a supply chamber 9 to an outlet 11. This entirepumping unit has been described in detail in my said Patent No.1,633,304 and it is to be understood that the patent may be referred toin connection with the present description.

In the present embodiment the engine 5 is operated by compressed air, asdescribed in said patent, .but it is to be understood that by suitablemodifications other motive agents may be used, such as electricitRegardless of the motive agent used, the fimction of the pumping unit 1isl automatically to provide grease or thelike under pressure in anoutlet line 13. It is a further function of this device that Vwhen thegrease gun 15 (to be described), which functions as a valve in this line13, is closed, then the pressure in said line 13 is maintained.. Underthese conditions the driving engine 5 (or motor) is not operating. Whenthe grease gun is opened, then the pressure in the line 13 isinsipiently relieved and this action automatically causes the engine 5to start and pump grease under pressure out through the open gun bywayof the line 13. The above description is given in order to make clearthe point that the gun to be described is used in connection with adevice which automatically starts operating to pump material when thegun is open and automatically stops pumping when the gun is closed. l

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2, the gun 15 per se will beseen to comprise a body 17 having a longitudinal differential bore 19,this bore being provided with a plunger 21. The plunger 21 is, with aleather sealing piston 23, fastened to a stem 25 which is slidable in asection 27 of said bore, said stem emerging therefrom.

At its upper portion, the bore 19 is intersected by a laterally formedcommunicating passage 29, the plunger 21 crossing the passage. Below thepassage the plunger 21 is provided with anose 31 adapted to press a ballcheck valve 33 from its seat 35- The portion of the bore 29 around thenose 31 is large enough to permit passage of grease and like fluidstherethrough. A spring 47 reacting against an inlet nipple 49 normallyholds the-ball valve 33 to its seat. It will be noted thatvthe nipple 49comprises a free inlet.

The stem 25 is adapted to be pressed down by means of an adjustable pin37, the latter being locked to a handle 39. vThe handle is pivoted tolinks 41 which in, turn are pivted to said body 17. A downwardlyextending slotted lug 43 of Vthe handle 39 is adapted to engage the headof a limiting stop pin 45, so that the plunger 21 and its supportlngstem 25 cannot leave the hollow dy 17. If it is desirable to open thecheck valve 33, the handle 39 may be depressed, whereupon the nose 31unseats the valve. Thus the inlet and outlet of thelbody communicatewith one another and with the lateral passa e 29.

crewed sidewardly into the intersecting passage 29 is a pressurereducing c linder 51 provided with a communicating ore 53 and a rearwardthreaded cap 55. The ca 55 is provided -witha cooperating threade stem57 which carries an operating handle 59 and has a relatively dat forwardface 61 for engagin a plug 63 which rides in an enlargement of the bore53 and is sealed by means of a leather piston ring 65. The threaded stem57 and plu 63 are not rigidly connected. Hence the ree piston 63, 65maybe given translatory motion without rotation when the stem 57 isturnedfrom the handle 59 and thus scoring and tearing of the leatherv riis reduced.

IThe outlet of t e passage 29 is `threaded to receive the threaded endof the iemble outlet. tube assembly 14, the latter bein provided with abayonet slotted head 6 such as is used for connecting assemblies of thistype to oiling tips. A tip is illustrated at numeral 69 screwed into adevice to be greased, such as the bearing 71. The function of the tip 69is that of a check valve permitting dow of material from-the line 14 butnot back into the same. A knurled portion orthe like, such as 73, isusually provided for manual application to, and removal from the tip 69of the head 67. The operation for greasing comprises pushing the head 67over its tip 69 and then twisting the head 67, whereupon if pressure isbuilt up in the line 14, then it is almost impossible to manually removethe head 67 until the pressure is relieved.

With the ordinary grease guns it is particularly diiiicult to releasethis pressure if a clogged bearing is encountered, especially where'such as the one shown in my Patent 1,633,304 include a boosterarrangement which permits a building up of the pressure beyond thatsupplied by the pump shown in Fig. 1. With this increased pressure it issometimes possible to open an otherwise clogged bearing, but not always.

However, in many cases the pressure of the pump itself is enough` toopen the bearing and the booster'v arrangement is superuous. Under anyconditions however, a bearing will be found fromtime to time which willnot yield to the pump pressure and yet it is not desired to use certainnecessarily extra parts on the gun required to render the boosterelfective merely for the scattered cases vof extraordinary cloggi Theextra parts referred to are those slili as shown by numerals 179 and 183to 189 in said Patent 1,633,304. These parts it will be seen to beadvantageous to eliminate.

The elimination of the 'parts above referred to not onlyresults inmechanical simplification but also in a new function which will be clearfrom the following: A grease gun has for its purpose the closin andopening of the grease passage, w ereby pumping by the engine 5 isprevented, or permitted to take place, as desired.v If the line 13 ispositively closed at the gun, the engine 5 ceases to operate. If theline is opened grease can pass andthe air engine automatically goes intooperation and continues so until the line is a ain closed.

JAfter a bearing has en suiiielentl greased, thel grip on the handlev 39which7 opened the is released, whereupon the ball check valve 33 closesunder action of the spring 47 and the pressure there-behind. lf thebearing was not clogged, then the pressure on the outlet line 14automatically decreases after closure of the valve 33. This permitsreadyremoval of the head 67.

1f, after closure of the valve 33, it should be discovered that the head67 can not be removed from its tip because of its clogged bearing notpermitting release of pressure, then the handle 59 can be backed up soas to increase the volume available into which the grease may expand.This will result in reduction of the pressure so that the head 67 can beeasily removed. The checking action of the valve 33 prevents .the pum 1from automatically pumping into'the line 14 when pressure is reduced bymeans of the handle 59.

While the gun of Patent 1,633,304 can provide the pressure reducingresult under certain circumstances, yet it does not do so under allcircumstances. For instance, referring to Fig. 2 herein, if the stem 57has previously been retracted so far so that the piston 63, 65' restedagainst the cap 55, then if the pump builds up pressure against aclogged bearing, this pressure can not be reduced by further unscrewinthe stem 57. This condition often occurs, ue to an operator forgettingto screw in the stem 57 prior to opening the valve. With the device ofPatent 1,633,304, under these conditions, the operator would attempt toboost the pressure by screwing in the stem. If, as mig t occur, thebooster pressure would not open the bearing it would be necessary touncouple the head from the greasing tip with a wrench with consequentdanger of breakage and loss of time.

By means of the present invention, which eliminates the inlet checkvalve at the nipple 49, the operator lcannot get into such apredicament. This is because if he has turned on the pump against anunopenable bearing with 'the piston 63, 65 retracted as far 4as it willgo, he needs, upon closin the valve 33, merely screw in the stem 5 so asto drive the piston 63, 65 down the bore 53. Hence the check valve 33 isopened and grease is driven back into the line 13 to its source. Then,upon backing olf the stem 57, the check valve 33 closes and the volumein communication with the bearing is decreased so as to decrease thepressure in the line 14. Thus ready removal of the head 67 can beeieeted under any and all circumstances.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

l As many changes could be made in c-arrying out the above constructionswithoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended thatall lmatter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

I claim: 1 Dispensing -apparatus comprising a body, an inlet therefor, acheck valve normally preventing flow from the inlet to the body, anoutlet from the body communicating with the inlet by means of saidcheckvalve and adapted to receive material therefrom, meanscommunicating with the outlet adapted to decrease pressure thereat andindependent manually operable means for opening said check valve topermit flow from the inlet to the outlet, said pressure decreasing meansbeing adapted to force material through said check valve to the inletshould the outlet be clog ed.

In testimony whereof, have signed my name to this specification thisfourth day of May, 1929.

` FRANK S; BARKS.

